


Monster In Me | Teen Wolf [Book 2]

by StephieLynn1226



Series: Scarlett McCall [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-21 14:35:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30023268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StephieLynn1226/pseuds/StephieLynn1226
Summary: Now a werewolf, Scarlett McCall needs to learn how to control her new supernatural abilities on top of being a high school student. But with sacrificial murders, and Alpha pack, and an ancient evil spirit, being "normal" is easier said then done.Season 3a & 3bPlease read Scar before this book! All Teen Wolf characters and plots belong to the creators of the show.  I only own Scarlett and her plots.
Series: Scarlett McCall [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941598
Kudos: 1





	1. Tattoo

"Lyds, I don't want to dress up for a date I don't even want to go on." I say exasperated.

"It's not a date. It's a group thing. So hurry up and get your cute little butt dressed in the outfit I picked out. We still need to pick up Allison." Lydia replied leaving no room for argument.

I let out a huff then reach for the clothes to get dressed. 

"Stop your pouting. At least I stuck with black."

I playfully roll my eyes, "Yeah, at the very least."

"Would you prefer pink?" She asks with a raised eyebrow, making her way to her closet.

"God no." I shudder at the thought. Lydia lets out a light laugh and shakes her head. "Okay. I'm good." I hold my hands out and do a spin for Lydia.

"Hot as ever." She replies with a smirk.

I giggle, "Alright, gorgeous. Let's go." I link my arm with hers as we head out of her house to go pick up Allison.

A little while later Lydia, Allison, and I are sitting in Lydia's car driving down the road. "It's not a date. It's just a group thing." Lydia insists.

"Do they know it's a group thing? Because I told you I'm not ready to get back out there." Allison asks from the backseat.

"Seriously. Isaac and I kinda have a thing going. I really don't want to go on a date." I say.

Lydia first addresses Allison, "You were in France and you didn't do any dating? For four months? And you," She glances at me, "Having a thing going is totally not the same thing as dating."

I roll my eyes but let Allison answer, "Did you? I mean after-"

She gets cut off by Lydia, "Do not mention his name."

"Is he okay? I mean, did everything work out?" Allison questions.

"The doctors looked like idiots when he turned up alive, but yes everyone got over it." Lydia replies.

"Derek has been helping me and him with our Werewolf 101 the whole summer." I say looking back at the hunter.

"Like how not to randomly kill people during a full moon." Lydia adds in.

"So you've talked to him?" Allison asks Lydia.

"Not since he left for London."

"You mean since his dad moved him to London."

"Whatever. He left. And seriously? An American werewolf in London? Like that's not going to be a disaster." I let out a light chuckle and shook my head at the remark.

"Then you're totally over him?"

"Would I be going on a group date if I wasn't?" Lydia questions.

Allison and I share a look, both of us having satisfied smiles on our faces. Lydia glances at us then sighs, "Okay, it's a group date. Not an orgy. You'll both live."

She then brakes at a red light. "Isaac better not find out about this." I say, giving my best friend a stern look.

"So is he your boyfriend?" Allison asks with a smile.

"We aren't official or anything. But I care about him a lot."

"And again. This isn't an orgy. If you aren't official he can't get mad at you for going on dates." Lydia says.

Before I can reply Allison gasps from the backseat. She sinks down and has a look of pure shock on her face. I open my mouth to ask what's wrong but she speaks before I get the chance, "Oh my God, oh my God, I can't see him. Not yet."

Lydia and I share a brief look before looking to the side to see Stiles and Scott stopped next to us at the red light. Allison holds her head in her hands trying to hide, "Lydia, go - please. Go, please."

"But the light." Lydia says. Finally, to stop Allison's begging, Lydia steps on the gas, running the red light. With the jeep disappearing in the rearview mirror Lydia asks, "You all right?"

All Allison can do is shake her head. "Lydia, stop. I need to go back. I need to talk to him." Allison says.

Lydia slows the car to a stop. We all glance out the rear window to see that the jeep stopped too. Lydia starts to speak once more but I can't focus. I start to get a dull pain in my chest. 

I look down at my arm to see the hairs start to raise. I cut off whatever Allison was about to say with a very panicked, "Get out of the car."

I reach over to undo my seat belt and open the door, "What?" Lydia asks.

"Now. Get out of the car now." Lydia and Allison both hurriedly follow my directions, "Move to the back."

"Scar, what's wro-" Before Allison even has time to finish the sentence a deer comes out of nowhere and slams right into Lydia's car, smashing through the windshield.

"How did you-" Lydia doesn't finish her sentence, too shocked to continue.

I shake my head, "I- I don't... It might have been my danger sense. I just- I never." I can't complete a sentence, still in shock about what happened.

Suddenly Scott and Stiles are now beside us seeing what happened, "Are you okay?" Scott asks.

"It came out of nowhere." Lydia says.

"Are you hurt?" Stiles questions, checking on Lydia then quickly turning to me.

"We're alright. Scarlett got us out before it hit." Allison says.

I walk over to the front of the vehicle to get closer to the deer as Lydia starts speaking again, "I'm not alright! I'm completely freaked out. Why the hell did it do that?"

Scott starts to make his way over to me and the deer, "It was scared." Scott says.

I look up at him, "No. Terrified."

*_*_*_*_*_*

The next morning I quickly get ready changing into something black of course, though to appease Lydia I decided to go with a lighter colored plaid skirt. 

Once at school Lydia and I wait for Allison by her locker. Lydia surveys the faces in the hall, trying to pick out the new faces. "Freshmen. Tons and tons of fresh men."

I smile and shake my head as Allison says, "You mean fresh boys. They're fourteen."

"Some are more mature than others." Lydia tries to argue.

"You know it's okay to be single. Focus on yourself for a little while. Work on becoming a better person." Allison tries again.

"Allison, I love you. So if you need to do the thing where we talk about me and pretend like we're not actually talking about you, that's totally fine. But I don't want a boyfriend. I want a distraction." She pauses, noticing someone, "Like that."

Allison and I both follow her gaze to see a new student moving through the hall. Looking down at his hand I see a black motorcycle helmet held in a gloved hand. A second student joins the first, identical in looks and the fact that they are both carrying identical helmets.

"Brothers?" Allison questions.

"Twins." Lydia and I answer in unison.

As they walk closer to us I pick up a scent. I cock my head to the side as they both make eye contact with me before quickly averting their eyes. Werewolves.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Walking into first period with Allison and Lydia, I move to sit in front of Stiles. Lydia sits next to me leaving the only vacant seat right in front of Scott. Allison walks over and awkwardly asks, "Anyone sitting-"

She gets cut off by Scott's answer, "No, no one. It's all you. All yours. Totally... vacant."

Stiles and I both look at him in disbelief. I mean seriously how can he be so awkward with her. Suddenly all the phones in the class start to either vibrate or ding, letting us know that we have a message.

I, along with everyone else in the class, pick up our phones to check what it is. "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds..." A young brunette woman, that I have never seen before walks in and starts reading the text.

"And the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the Earth flowed somber under an overcast sky seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."

She looks at the class as everyone stares back, "This is the last line to the first book we're going to read. It's also the last text you'll receive in this class. Phones off, everyone."

Rather than shutting my phone off I put it on silent then slide it into my bag. Ms. Blake, the young brunette teacher, starts writing on the board. Not even a minute later the door opens revealing the principal. Ms. Blake and the principal speak for a few seconds then she looks towards the students, "Mr. and Miss McCall?"

All eyes fall on me and my brother as Ms. Blake motions for us to follow. We both look at each other trying to see if the other knows why we are getting called out of class. We sling our backpacks over our shoulders and follow the teacher through the door.

"I'm sure it's an emergency if your mother needs you to leave school. But I'm going to give you a warning in the nicest way possible. I'm well aware of your attendance record. I don't want to see you slip back into old habits."

"I won't. It's going to be different this year." Scott immediately answers.

"Don't need to worry about me." I pull my lips into a tight smile.

"Resolutions are only good if you stick with them." Ms. Blake says, looking between my brother and I.

Scott nods, "I will. I swear it won't be ephemeral."

We both turn to leave, I raise an eyebrow looking at my twin, "Ephemeral? Studying started early this year?"

"PSATs." He simply states.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Our mom, Scott, and I rush down the hospital corridor. Mom just told us about Isaac being brought into the hospital earlier that morning with some pretty severe injuries. "Why didn't you tell us before?" Scott asks.

"Honestly, I was hoping I wouldn't have to." Our mom answers.

"What do you mean?"

"Everything you've been doing. The extra reading, the summer school, saving up for the bike - even though it scares me to death. I don't want to break a good rhythm."

Scott stops to look mom in the eyes, "It's not going to stop. I'm going to be better this year. A better student. A better son. A better friend. A better everything. I promise."

"Plus if you really didn't want to tell Scott, you could have told me. I mean I should know about Isaac being hurt any way. We do kinda have a thing going in case you forgot." I speak up.

"Which is why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to be worried."

"Well I am mom."

Mom sighs, "He's in 215. If he's not already in surgery." Scott and I both lean in to kiss mom on the cheek then make our way to Isaac's hospital room.

We quickly slip into the elevator, Scott hitting the button for the second floor. As we wait for the doors to close, a blind man walks through the door. "Could you hit the button for the second floor?"

Scott and I glance at each other, then at the already lit up '2' button. Scott reaches over to press it one more time, shrugging his shoulders at me. "Thank you." The man says.

Once the elevator doors open Scott begins to move out but is stopped by the man's cane. "You wouldn't mind helping me out for a second, would you?" He questions.

"We're kinda in a rush sir. I'm sure you can manage-" I get cut off by Scott elbowing me in the ribs. I throw him a glare as he starts speaking to the man.

"Sorry about her, she's a little worried about her boyfriend. I'll help." Scott takes the man's arm then they begin slowly walking out of the elevator and down the corridor. 

I pause for a minute still in the elevator with my jaw open in shock due to how slow they are moving. I throw my hands up and shake my head. Rather than follow after them I start to make my way to Isaac's room.

I sigh when I see that Isaac is no longer in his room. "Dammit." I turn down the hall looking for Isaac, or Scott. I finally spotted Scott and made my way up to him, "Ditched the blind guy."

"Really -" I cut Scott off, holding a hand to his face. My head snapping to where I know the elevators are. My chest aches as I quickly grab Scott's hand and start pulling him towards the elevators with me. 

We make it in enough time to see the elevator doors still wide open. Isaac is in a wheelchair, unconscious and behind him is a man with scrubs. Though Scott and I both realize rather quickly that the man is not a nurse but rather another werewolf.

Without stopping to think Scott and I run forward, both with our claws and fangs out, attacking the man.

The elevator doors close with a ding as the unknown werewolf, Scott, and I begin fighting. Despite it being two against one the other werewolf is a lot stronger than the two of us. 

The werewolf picks Scott and I up by our throats just as the elevator dings again, signaling that the doors are about to open. 

"Don't you realize what you're dealing with? I'm an Alpha." He says, eyes glowing red.

Before he can do anything else, the Alpha jerks forward in shock as claws jam into his back. Derek Hale stands behind him, making his presence known. "So am I."

The unknown Alpha drops Scott and I, a smile making its way to my face as Derek slams the Alpha's head into the wall. He then picks him up and throws him out of the elevator, quickly closing the doors.  
Derek turns to Scott and I, "Aren't you two supposed to be in school?"

*_*_*_*_*_*

Derek, Scott, and I leave the hospital with a still unconscious Isaac. Just as we are making our way inside the burnt Hale house Scott's phone rings. Stiles calls wanting to tell him about something that happened at the school, but rather than listen, Scott gets him to meet us.

"You don't still live here, do you?" Scott asks as he hangs up. Derek places Isaac down on a charred table in the middle of the room.

As I stand next to Isaac lightly running my hand through his hair, Derek answers, "No, the county took it over. But there's something here I need."

My eyes don't leave Isaac but I make sure to listen to Derek and Scott talk, "It'll help heal a wound from an Alpha." Derek says to Scott.

"But it did heal." Scott says, confusion evident in his voice.

"Not on the inside."

"Are you going to tell us who that was back there? The Alpha?" Scott asks.

"And why is he here?" I pipe up, finally looking towards the other two in the room.

"A rival pack. It's my problem. I know you both want to help. And you did. I owe you one. Now go home. Go back to being a teenager."

"I'm not leaving until Isaac wakes up." I cross my arms.

Before Derek can reply Scott speaks, "Derek. If you want to pay back the favor now..." Derek breaks eye contact with me to look at Scott, "There is something you can do for me."

Derek and Scott sit in chairs across from each other, Stiles now here, stands by Scott's side. I still stand beside Isaac, constantly switching back and forth from looking at Isaac to the three guys clustered together.

"I see it. Two bands, right?" Derek asks. Scott nods, prompting Derek to ask another question, "What does it mean?"

"I don't know. It's just something I traced with my fingers.” He presses his fingers to a dust covered side table, he draws a circle then a larger circle around the first.

"Why's this so important to you?"

Scott lowers his eyes, "Do you know what the word tattoo means?"

Stiles answers this time, "To mark something."

"That's in Tahitian. In Samoan it means open wound. I knew I was going to get a tattoo when I turned eighteen. I always wanted one. But then I decided to do it now to make it a kind of reward."

"For what?" Derek asks as I knit my eyebrows together.

"For not calling or texting Allison all summer." More softly then before Scott continues, "Even when I really wanted to. Even when some days it was so hard not to. I'm trying to give her the space she wants. But four months later it still hurts. It still feels like- like an open wound."

Derek picks up an acetylene torch once Scott finishes his explanation. "The pain's going to be worse than anything you've ever felt."

Scott nods, "Do it."

Derek lights the torch and almost instantly Stiles says, "Yeah. I'm going to wait outside."

"No, you're going to help hold him down. Scarlett you too." Derek says.

I nod and make my way over as Stiles, less confidently does the same. We each hold on tight to one of Scott's shoulders as Derek slowly lowers the blue flame to Scott's arm. Scott's eyes start glowing yellow, fangs start growing, and he opens his mouth to scream.

Scott quickly loses consciousness as Derek continues to work on his tattoo.

*_*_*_*_*_*

About a minute after Derek finishes the tattoo, Scott snaps awake. He looks up at all of us then lets his gaze drift towards his arm. The two bands are still there, confirming that it worked.

Scott slips his shirt back on and turns to leave the Hale house with Stiles. I still refuse to leave since Isaac still isn't awake. Derek makes his way over to me and Isaac as Stiles looks at Scott's tattoo. "Looks pretty damn permanent now."

"I kind of needed something permanent. Everything that's happened to us - it just feels like everything changes so fast. Everything's so... ephemeral."

A brief moment passes before Stiles asks, "Studying for the PSATs?"

Scott nods, "Yeah."

"Nice." 

Scott opens the front door but before he fully leaves the house he turns to Derek, "You painted the door. Why'd you paint it?"

"Go home, Scott."

"And why only one side?" Derek and I both start towards the two teenagers standing in the doorway. 

"Scott-" Derek tries to get him to leave once more but is cut off with Scott unsheathing his claws and scratching the paint off of the door.

Underneath the red paint is a black triskele pattern. "The birds at school and the deer last night. Just like the night I almost got trampled by deer. The night I got bit by an Alpha. How many are there?"

"A pack of them. An Alpha pack." Derek replies.

Confused Stiles asks the same question on my mind, "All of them? How's that even work?"

"I've heard there's a kind of leader. He's called Deucalion. We know they took Erica and Boyd. Isaac, Peter and I have been trying to find them for the last four months."

"What if you do find them? How do you deal with an Alpha pack?" Scott asks.

"With all the help I can get."

I open my mouth to tell Derek to let us help then but before I get the chance a voice behind us speaks, "Where is she?"

We all turn wide eyed looking towards Isaac, who is now wide awake and sitting up on the table, "Where's the girl?"

I quickly make my way over to Isaac as Derek asks, "What girl?"


	2. Chaos Rising

I stood leaning against the wall in Derek's loft watching as a nervous Isaac paced the room. Derek sat patiently at a work table, also watching the nervous teenager. 

"I'm starting to not like this idea. It sounds dangerous. I definitely don't like it. And I definitely don't like him." Isaac states.

I bite my lip as Derek tries to reassure his Beta, "You'll be fine."

"Why does it have to be him?"

"He knows how to do it. I don't. It'd be more dangerous if I tried it myself."

"You know Scott and Scarlett don't trust him." I nodded in agreement with Isaac's statement, "And personally, I trust them."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah." He answers without hesitation, "But I still don't like him."

"No one likes him."

"Ain't that the truth." I speak up for the first time since the conversation started. I make my way over to Isaac to try and comfort him a little more as the steel door of Derek's loft opens revealing Peter.

"Boys, Scarlett. Just an FYI. Yes, coming back from the dead left my abilities somewhat impaired, but the hearing? Still works. So I hope you're comfortable saying whatever it is you're feeling straight to my face." He says.

"You're an ass." I state.

At the same time Derek says, "We don't like you." He briefly looks at me then continues, "Now shut up and help us."

"Fair enough." Peter says, pulling his lips into a thin line.

Peter snaps his hand open to reveal his claws. I give Isaac a quick kiss on the cheek and squeeze his hand, "You'll be alright."

He nods and sits in a chair, nervously gripping the arm rests. He flinches as Peter gently touches his neck with his claws. "Relax. I'll get more out of you if you're calm."

Isaac's eyes connect with mine, I nod as confidently as I can to try and reassure him that everything will be fine. He takes a deep breath, relaxing. Derek and I look on as Peter readjusts his claws, trying to find the right placement.

"How do you know how to do this?" Isaac asks.

"It's an old ritual. Used mostly by Alphas since it's a skill that requires quite a bit of practice. One little slip and you could paralyze someone. Or kill them."

"Have you had a lot of practice?"

"I never paralyzed anyone." Peter simply states.

"Wait does that mean-" Isaac's sentence is cut off as Peter jams his claws in his neck. My eyes widen slightly but I stay still, heart beating rapidly as I watch both werewolves eyes light up. 

Isaac jerks up in his chair, Derek moves forward to intervene but Peter's voice stops him, "Wait. I see them."

A few moments later Peter yanks his hand free of Isaac's neck, staggering back and breathless. I rush to Isaac as he starts to dip forward as if he was going to pass out. I gently push him back in the seat and grab his face, pushing his hair off his forehead. 

Derek glances at Isaac to make sure he's alright before he addresses his uncle, "What did you see?"

"Not much. It was confusing. Vague images, phrases-"

"But you saw something." Derek interrupts.

Peter nods, "Isaac found them."

"Erica and Boyd?"

"I barely saw them. Just glimpses."

"But you saw them?" Derek questions.

Peter nods once more, his clawed hand squeezing into a fist, "And worse."

"Deucalion." 

"He was talking to them. Something about time running out."

"What does that mean?" Isaac asks, turning in his seat to look at Peter.

Derek is the one to answer though, looking at Peter for conformation, "He's going to kill them."

"He didn't say that. But he did make a promise. That by the full moon, they'd both be dead." Peter says.

"The next full moon?" 

Peter nods. "But that's tomorrow night." I say from my crouched position beside Isaac.

Peter nods once more. 

*_*_*_*_*_*

Later in the day Scott told Derek and I that he, Lydia, and Allison needed to show us something. So we met in an empty classroom at the school, Stiles with us too of course. Since Derek and I were the two that didn't know what this was about we stood in front of the other four.

Allison and Lydia hold out their arms placing them next to each other. They both have bruises that make an odd shape. Derek looks up making eye contact with Allison and glares. She glares back as Derek says, "I don't see anything."

"Look again." Scott insists.

"How is a bruise going to tell me where Erica and Boyd are?" 

"It's the same on both arms. Exactly the same."

"It's nothing." Derek argues.

"Pareidolia. Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia." Lydia states.

"What she said." Derek nods towards Lydia.

"Take another look."

"Scott, just stop. Clearly he doesn't see anything." I say.

"They're trying to help."

"These two?" Derek questions raising his eyebrows, "This one who used me to resurrect my psychotic uncle.” He points to Lydia then turns to point at Allison, “And this one who shot about thirty arrows into me and my pack?"

"To be fair, Lydia using you wasn't really her fault." I say, shrugging.

"And no one died." Stiles states, "There might have been some maiming. A little mangling. But no death. I call that an important distinction."

"My mother died." Allison says.

"Your family's little honor code killed your mother. Not me." Derek snaps.

"He has a point." I mumble, earning a glare from the young hunter. I quickly avert my eyes and hold up my hands in an act of surrender.

"Okay, can everyone back off for a second?" Scott questions.

Allison looks back at Derek, "That girl was looking for Scott and Scarlett. I'm here to help them. Not you."

"You want to help? Find something real." The Alpha states.

He turns to leave being stopped by Scott who starts a whispered conversation that I can't help but listen in on. "Give her a chance. We're all on the same side now."

"Then maybe you should tell her what her mother was actually trying to do that night." I knit my eyebrows together at that statement as I watched Derek leave.

As soon as we disperse, I ask Scott, "What did Derek mean?" Scott raises an eyebrow, "What was Allison's mom trying to do that night?"

Scott sighs, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Scott." I warn.

"She tried to kill me. She found out that Allison and I were still seeing each other and she wasn't happy. Derek saved my life."

My eyes widen in shock and I nod, trying to process what Scott just told me. Stiles then speaks trying to change the topic, "What does a pack of Alphas want with Erica and Boyd?"

"I'm not sure it's them they want." Scott answers.

"What- Derek? Like they're recruiting?"

But Scott doesn't answer as something catches his eye. As Stiles and I walk ahead, we slow when we realize that Scott isn't with us anymore. "Scott?" I ask. At the sound of his name he shakes his head and catches up.

*_*_*_*_*_*

I sit behind Scott in Coach's class waiting for the lesson to begin. Coach slams a book down on his desk to get the class's attention. "The stock market is based on two principles. What are they?" he questions, looking out at the sea of students.

Scott raises his hand, "Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom."

I smile and shake my head as Scott answers, "Coach, I know the answer."

"You serious?"

"It's risk and reward." I lay my hand on Scott's shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze, showing that I'm proud of him.

"Who are you and what have you done with McCall? Don't answer that. I like you better." He then turns away from Scott to address the class, "Does anyone have a quarter?"

Stiles hastily reaches into his pocket to pull one out. But along with the quarter an XXL condom falls out. I watch Stiles horrified face quickly become red. 

Coach picks the condom up, handing it to Stiles, "Stilinski, I believe you dropped this. And... congratulations."

I hold a hand to my mouth to try and stifle my giggles. I lean over to whisper, "Getting lucky, Stiles?" He sends me a glare as Scott's body starts to shake with a silent laugh. 

I turn my attention back to Coach just as Danny asks, "What's the reward?"

"You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow."

"Coach, it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it."

"Danny, to be honest, I really expect more from you by now."

He yanks the quarter off of Danny's desk and places it on Scott’s, "The risk, McCall, is if you don't get the quarter in, you take the pop - you take the quiz - and you have to write an essay. Risk: More work. Reward: No work. Or: Choose not to play."

Scott picks up the quarter as he thinks, "But isn't this just chance?"

"No. You know your abilities. Coordination, focus, past experience. All affecting the outcome. So what's it going to be, McCall? More work? No work? Or choose not to play?"

Scott takes one last look at the quarter in his hand then sets it back down on his desk. Coach picks it up, "No play! Other McCall, what about you?"

He sets the quarter in front of me and I smirk. I reach for the quarter and stand up, flipping my hair over my shoulder as I make my way to the front of the room. "That's what I'm talking about Scarlett, show them how it's done." Coach says happily.

I bend down slightly, quarter held between my thumb and forefinger. I line up my shot and let the quarter go, bouncing it straight into the mug. I smile brightly retrieving the quarter from the mug and handing it off to Coach. "Good, no work for Scarlett. Who's next?"

Stiles jumps up ready for a turn, "There's a gambling man." Coach says as he hands Stiles the quarter.

As he's lining up his shot though, the door opens, Sheriff Stilinski standing in the doorway, "Stiles -" Coach starts to speak.

"Yeah, Coach, I got this." Stiles says.

"Stiles." His dad speaks, breaking the teenagers concentration.

He glances back and moves to step into the hall with his dad. Scott and I instantly use our heightened senses to hear what's going on, "I couldn't find her. I thought she'd just hooked up with her other friends. Has no one really seen her since last night?"

"We've put out an A-P-B. But, Stiles, all of her friends say you were the last person who saw her."

"Me?"

"We're hoping it's just some bad decisions brought on by too much to drink. But if you remember anything else, you call me. Okay?"

*_*_*_*_*_*

After Coach's class I make my way to the library with Lydia and Allison. Sitting down at a table to work on some homework I hear Lydia speak, breaking the silence, "I want one."

I look up and Allison and I follow her gaze to the twins, "Which one?" Allison asks.

"The straight one, obviously." Lydia answers.

I bite my lip as I watch Lydia stand up and make her way over towards the twins, not liking the idea of my best friend getting with a werewolf that I know nothing about. 

"Hey, what if it's not a symbol? What if it's actually a logo?" Allison asks.

She looks up to see Lydia with one of the twins and Danny with the other. Then she looks at me, waiting for an answer, "It's not a logo I recognize, but it's possible."

*_*_*_*_*_*

After school Scott, Stiles, Derek, Isaac and I meet at the animal clinic to get Deaton's help with Isaac's memory. We filled a tub with ice water as Isaac tentatively reached a finger out to touch the water. 

"Obviously, it's not going to be particularly comfortable. But if we can slow your heart rate down enough you'll slip into a trance - like state." Dr. Deaton says to Isaac.

"Like being hypnotized?" Isaac asks.

"Exactly. You'll be half transformed. It'll let us access your subconscious mind."

"How slow does his heart rate need to be?" Scott questions the vet.

"Very slow."

"And uh, how slow is very slow exactly?" I ask, starting to feel nervous.

"Nearly dead."

I gulp as Isaac asks, "But it's safe, right?"

"Do you want me to answer honestly?"

"Not really."

My eyes are locked on Isaac's worry evident on both of our faces, before either can say anything we hear a snapping sound. We break eye contact looking towards the sound. Stiles is pulling on latex gloves, "What?" he asks innocently when he realizes everyone’s eyes are on him.

I shake my head, focusing my attention back on Isaac as he removes his shirt. "If it's too risky you don't have to do this." Derek says to his Beta.

Isaac answers by stepping into the tub and sitting down. I lean over to give him a quick peck on the lips. He shakily smiles at me, takes a couple of deep breaths, then nods to let us know that he's ready. 

Grabbing him by his arms, Scott and Derek plunge Isaac into the ice water.

Isaac bursts up from the icy water, gasping for breath. His eyes are glowing the Beta yellow and fangs are protruding from his mouth. "Get him back under." Deaton says.

Derek and Scott push Isaac back under as I watch nervously from the side. Stiles stands beside me, I can see from the corner of my eye that his eyes are more focused on me. 

Isaac shoots up another time as Deaton says, "Hold him."

"We're trying." Gasps slip from Isaac's throat, I hold my hands up to my mouth, forgetting to breath as I watch. Finally, Isaac's body relaxes. He slips back into the ice and his breathing slows as his eyes close. 

Deaton whispers, "Now remember, only I talk to him. Too many voices will confuse him and draw him out."

We all nod so Deaton continues, this time addressing Isaac. "Isaac? Can you hear me?"

"Yes. I hear you."

"This is Dr. Deaton. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?"

"Yes, it's all right." Isaac answers, teeth chattering from the cold.

"I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible. Like you were actually there again."

"No - No, I don't want to do that." He tenses and starts to rise up from the water. Scott and Derek gently push him back, but he begins to struggle against them.

"It's all right, Isaac. They're just memories. You can't be hurt by a memory."

At Deaton's words, Isaac relaxes once more. "So let's go back to that night. To the place you found Erica and Boyd. Can you tell me what you see? Is it some kind of building? A house?"

"Not a house. The walls are stone. Like marble."

"That's perfect. Can you give me any other descriptors?"

"It's dusty. Empty."

"Like an abandoned building? Isaac?"

"Someone's here." Isaac's hand wraps around Scott's wrist. 

"Isaac, relax."

"They're here - they're coming." Isaac panics.

"They can't hurt you. It's just a memory. Your memories can't hurt you."

Isaac begins to breath hard, his grip around Scott loosens. "They can't hurt you. Just relax." Finally, he releases his grip on Scott who pulls back in relief. "Good. Now tell us what you see. Tell us everything."

"I hear him. He's talking about the full moon. About being out of control when the moon rises."

"Is he talking to Erica?"

"I think. I can't see her. I can't see either of them."

"What else is he saying?" Stiles asks. I elbow him as Deaton puts a finger to his lips, reminding him to be quiet.

"Can you hear anything else?" Deaton questions.

"They're worried about what they'll do. During the moon. Worried they'll hurt each other."

Derek whispers something to Scott that I can't bring myself to listen to as my worried gaze is still locked on Isaac in the tub. "Isaac, we need to know where they are. Can you see them?"

"No."

"Do you know what kind of room it is? Is there any kind of marker? A number on a door? A sign?"

Isaac draws in a sudden breath, "They're here." He whispers.

He tenses in the water as Deaton tries to calm him, "It's alright. Just tell us--"

"No, they see me. They see me." Isaac cuts off Deaton.

"This isn't working." Derek states, leaning forward, "Isaac, where are you?"

"You're going to confuse him." Deaton says to the Alpha.

Isaac, now sounding terrified, speaks once more, "They're coming- They found me."

"Just tell us where you are." Derek says again.

"I don't know-- It's too dark." He struggles in the water, Derek grabs a hold of him.

"Where are you?" 

Ice spills across the floor around Derek who tries to hold Isaac still. "His heart rate- he could go into shock." Deaton says.

I step forward, tears brimming my eyes, "Derek, stop."

"Let him go," Scott says.

But Derek ignores us both, "Where are you? What did you see?"

"A vault- it's a vault - a bank vault."

Water splashes as Isaac quickly sits up in the tub. He is now alert and excited as he climbs out of the tub with Scott and Derek's help.

"I know where they are. I saw it. I saw the name." Isaac says as I wrap a towel around him and pull him into a hug to try and warm him up. "Beacon Hills First National. It's an abandoned bank. They've been keeping them in a vault. Locked inside-"

He trails off when he looks at everyone's concerned faces. "What? What's wrong?"

"You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it?" Stiles asks.

Isaac shakes his head, confused. "You said when they caught you, they dragged you into a room. And there was a body in it."

"What body?"

"Erica. You said it was Erica."

*_*_*_*_*_*

Isaac continues to shiver as I rub my hands up and down his arms, "She's not dead." Derek insists.

"He said 'There's a dead body. It's Erica.' Doesn't exactly leave much room for interpretation." Stiles says.

"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?" 

"Someone else, obviously. Maybe the Alphas are collecting strays."

Scott turns his attention to Isaac, "Maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle? The one who saved you?"

Isaac shakes his head, leaning into me for warmth, "She wasn't like us. And whoever was in the vault with Boyd was."

"What if that's how Erica died? They pit them against each other during the full moon and see who survives. It's like Werewolf Thunderdome." Stiles says.

"A werewolf fight club? C'mon, that can't be a thing." I say, eyes narrowing at the thought. “Can it?”

"Then we get them out. Tonight." Derek says.

"Be smart about this, Derek. You can't just go storming in." Deaton speaks, trying to reason with the Alpha.

"If Isaac got inside, so can we."

"But he didn't get through a vault door, did he?"

"We need a plan." Scott states.

"How do we come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than twenty-four hours?" Derek asks.

"Someone already did." We all turn to Stiles, who raises his phone up indicating that he found a way to get into the vault. He starts reading, "Beacon Hills First National closes doors three months after vault robbery. Doesn't say how it was robbed, but probably won't take long to find out."

"How long?"

"It's the internet. Minutes."

*_*_*_*_*_*

The next day Allison picks Lydia and I up for school. As we get out of the car we start talking about what Allison found out. "So mystery girl leaves a bruise on our arms that turns out to be the logo for a bank. What's she trying to do? Give us investment advice?" Lydia asks.

"Not at this bank. It's been closed for years." 

"Allison, please tell me you aren't thinking about investigating by yourself." I question the hunter.

"Seriously, why aren't you telling Scott?" Lydia adds.

"Because according to someone I need to find something real." Allison answers. "You can't tell Scott that I think I found something, Scar."

She pauses for a second, opening her trunk and grabbing her school bag, "Which reminds me. I can't drive you home today. I've got an errand to run after school." She says to Lydia, knowing that I was already getting a ride from Stiles.

"Allison-" I try to argue again.

"Scarlett, I'm fine. I'll be fine." She doesn't give me a chance to tell her that it's not and she'll be put in danger if she goes to explore. 

*_*_*_*_*_*

After school we head to Derek's to go over the plan. Stiles unrolls a blueprint of the bank as we all crowd around to look. "Okay, see this? This is how they got in. A rooftop air conditioning vent. It leads down inside the wall of the vault which is here..."

Stiles trails off as he circles the vault with a red marker. "One of the robbers was lowered down into this shaft. The space is so small, with so little room to move, it took him twelve hours to drill through the stone wall into the vault. Then, over the entire night, they siphoned all of the cash up through that one little shaft in the wall to the guys on the roof."

"Can we fit in there?" Scott asks.

"Barely. And they patched the wall. So I'm thinking the kind of drill we need is a diamond bit-"

Derek cuts him off, "Forget the drill. If I go in first, how much space would I have?"

"What do you think you're going to do? Punch through the wall?"

"Yes. I'm going to punch through the wall."

"Oh really, tough guy? Make a fist."

Derek holds out a clenched fist. Stiles puts one hand on Derek's elbow and the other a few inches from his fist, "See this? That's maybe three inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid-"

His sentence is cut off as Derek slams his fist against Stiles' palm. "Mother of God." He clutches his hand in agony.

"I'll get through the wall. Who's following me down?"

He looks towards the three wolves in the room. "Sorry, but not me." Peter speaks up, "You know I'm not up to fighting yet. And, honestly, with Isaac out of commission, you're not looking at good odds for yourself."

"I'm supposed to just let them die?"

"One of them is already dead."

"You're not helping." I snap, glaring at Peter. "I'm coming with you." 

Derek gives a quick nod then turns to Scott, "What about you?"

"I don't know about Erica. But if Boyd's still alive, we have to do something. We have to try." Scott answers.

"But?" Derek prompts.

"Who's the other girl? The one locked in with Boyd?"

"I guess we're going to find out."

*_*_*_*_*_*

Once at the bank, Scott, Derek, and I cautiously approach through the alley behind the building. We pause under a fire escape. Scott reaches for one of the rungs but notices something, "Now I kind of wish we'd let Stiles come."

"Why?" Derek and I ask in unison.

"Because he'd be able to come up with something better than I told you so." He points to the bank name and logo, the logo is the same symbol that was bruised on Allison and Lydia's arms.

"Shut up and climb." Derek scolds. The two werewolves miss the sound of my heart beat speeding up.

Grabbing a ladder rung, Scott pauses yet again. "What?" Derek asks.

"Something I can't get out of my head."

"The moon's rising, Scott. What is it?"

"Risk and reward."

"Coach's class? What are you talking about?" I question my twin.

"We're not measuring the risk with enough information. We don't know enough."

"We know time's running out." Derek states.

"But think about it. They put the triskele on your door four months ago. What have they been doing all that time? Why wait until now?"

"Yes, Scott. We get it. It doesn't make sense, much like how last year I would have laughed in your face if you told me werewolves were real. We don't have time for this." I say.

"But what if this detail- the reason they waited- what if it's the most important one?"

"Then we don't do anything. And Boyd and Erica are dead. I know what I'm risking. My life for theirs. And I won't blame you - either of you- if you don't follow me." Derek says.

Derek then grabs the steel ladder rung of the fire escape and begins to climb. Me following closely behind and Scott following not long after. 

After about 10 agonizingly long minutes Derek bursts through the wall of the vault. Scott and I tumble through just after, "Boyd?" Derek asks, he holds a hand in front of Scott and I so we are behind him.

A hulking figure is on the other side of the vault, its breath harsh and ragged. "Boyd, it's me. It's Derek."

A buzzing noise catches mine and Scott's attention. Scott pulls out his phone, "Stiles, now is not a good time-" He gets cut off by whatever Stiles is saying. I'm too focused on the figure in front of us to listen in.

"Derek, Scar. We have a problem. Really big problem." Scott speaks from behind us.

I turn to look at Scott but Derek's voice causes me to look back at the figure's in front of us, "Cora?"

"Who?" Scott and I say together.

"Cora?" Derek asks once more.

"Derek, get out. Get out of here." The girl, Cora, says.

Scott calls out, "No- no, wait!" Just as Boyd lets out a loud snarl, eyes glowing yellow. Immediately Derek and I unsheathe our claws, ready to defend ourselves. 

As Derek and Scott fight Boyd I fight the girl. "You know her?" I hear Scott ask the Alpha.

"My sister- younger sister."

"I thought everyone in your family was dead?" I bluntly ask.

"Yeah, me too."

Looking over my shoulder briefly I see Allison standing at the vault door. Derek sees her approach the mountain ash lining the room, "No, don't- don't break the seal!"

"Boyd!" Allison calls, gaining the werewolves attention. The hunter swipes her hand across the seal, breaking it. Boyd and Cora both take off running, racing for freedom they haven't had in months.

Allison steps out from behind the door and is grabbed by Derek. "Don't touch her." Scott says.

"What were you thinking?" Derek asks, angry.

"That I had to do something."

"She saved our lives."

"Yeah, and put a lot of other lives in danger." I state.

Allison looks at me in shock that I was taking Derek's side, when in reality I was just stating the truth. Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly happy that she saved our lives, but now we just have a bigger problem on our hands.

"You want to blame me? I'm not the one who turns teenagers into killers." Allison says, glaring at Derek.

"No, that's the rest of your family." Derek says.

"I made mistakes. But Gerard wasn't my fault."

"What about your mother?"

"What? What do you mean?" The hunter asks, confused.

"Tell her, Scott."

Allison turns to Scott, "What does he mean? Scott?"


End file.
